United States Patent US. Cl. 134-1 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A teeth cleaning method and apparatus. The method comprises the placing of material susceptible to a magnetic field in a mouth cavity and thereafter subjecting the material to a varying magnetic field in order to impart motion to the material to clean the teeth in the mouth cavity. The apparatus comprises a material including a fluid, having particles therein that are susceptible to a varying magnetic field that will impart motion to the particles, and a magnetic field-producing device including a transducer for producing a varying magnetic field that imparts motion to the particles in order to clean the teeth in the mouth cavity.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention relates to a new and improved cleaning method and apparatus, and, more particularly, to a method of cleaning teeth by utilizing a varying magnetic field to impart motion to material placed in a mouth cavity, and apparatus comprising, a material including a fluid having particles therein susceptible to a magnetic field for cleaning teeth, and a magnetic field-producing device.

As is perhaps Well-known, many teeth cleaning methods and apparatus have been utilized to clean teeth in a mouth cavity. One of the oldest methods is to apply a cleansing agent such as a tooth paste or powder to a brush that is placed in the mouth cavity in order to scrub the teeth clean. In the past, brushes of various design have been operated by hand or motor-driven devices to scrape or abrade the surface of teeth to remove unwanted particles, also, vibrating devices, such as magneto-strictive tools, have been utilized by dental personnel to periodically clean teeth surfaces. In order to eflectively remove foreign substances from between teeth in a mouth cavity, streams of water and thin materials, such as waxed strings, have been employed.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a new and improved teeth cleaning method and apparatus. The method utilizes a varying magnetic field-producing device to impart mo tion to a material placed in a mouth cavity for cleaning the teeth therein. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the material includes a fluid including cleansing ingredients, and particles that are susceptible to a magnetic field, and the magnetic field-producing device includes a transducer for converting electrical energy into a magnetic field that varies in direction and intensity for imparting motion to the particles which, in turn, imparts motion to the fluid and the cleansing ingredients. In the preferred method of cleaning teeth, the material is placed in the mouth cavity and sealed therein by the lips and tongue. The magnetic field-producing device is placed outside of the mouth cavity for producing a varying magnetic field that penetrates the mouth cavity to impart motion to the particles and fluid in the mouth cavity in order to clean the surfaces of the teeth, as well as the surface between the teeth.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved magnetic cleaning method and apparatus.

Also, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved teeth cleaning method and apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus for stirring and agitating a material placed in a cavity for cleaning the items therein.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus for stirring and agitating a material sealed by the lips and tongue in a mouth cavity by a device held outside of the mouth cavity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a fast cleaning method and apparatus.

A further object of this invention is to provide a material that can be agitated by a magnetic field produced by a magnetic field-producing device for cleaning teeth.

A further object of this invention is to provide a magnetic field-producing device that may be held outside of the mouth cavity in order to stir and agitate a material that is sealed within the mouth cavity for cleaning the teeth therein.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a teeth cleaning method and apparatus that will cleanse the surface of teeth and the surfaces between the teeth in a mouth cavity by utilizing a material including a fluid having particles therein susceptible to a magnetic field.

In accordance with these and other objects which will be apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating this apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially cross-section, showing the preferred embodiment of this invention in operation;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the magnetic field-producing device;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a core arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, and referring particularly to FIG. 1, the magnetic field-producing device, generally designated as numeral 2, produces a varying magnetic field in order to stir or agitate a material 4 placed in the mouth cavity 6, of a human. The material 4 includes a fluid, shown as 8, with particles, shown as 10, therein that are susceptible to a magnetic field produced by device 2. The material 4 is placed in the mouth cavity 6 and sealed therein bylips 12 and tongue 14. When the magnetic field-producing device 2 is connected to a power source, such as ordinary house current, by corrector 16 and activated by closing switch 18, a varying magnetic field is produced that varies in direction and intensity with time for imparting motion to the particles 10, which, in turn, imparts motion to the material 4 for cleaning teeth 20. The material 4 may also contain cleansing agents to aid in cleaning the teeth. The teeth in the mouth cavity may therefore be cleaned by the magnetic field-producing device 2 that is held outside of the mouth cavity. The magnetic field-producing device or scrubbing unit may therefore be operated externally, with only the magnetic field penetrating the mouth cavity. Hygienically, this device may be utilized by many people without transferring germs from one person to another, since the device itself is not placed in the mouth cavity.

Although the magnetic field-producing device 2 may theoretically include an electric motor rotating permanent magnets in order to produce a varying magnetic field, one

preferred embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 2 in block diagram in a non-complex form. The power source, ordinary alternating current that is supplied to homes and the like, is connected to the magnetic fieldproducing device by wires 16, although the power source could be a battery-powered oscillator. A switch 18 is placed in the line in order to activate or shut down the magnetic field-producing device. FIG. 2 also shows a means for delivering an output with a frequency that is a multiple of the input frequency. A frequency multiplier 22 is connected to the power by wires 16 and switch 18. Various well-known circuits can be used to obtain the desired frequency, for example, frequency doublers or converters may be utilized. In the preferred embodiment a relatively high frequency is produced in order to provide the desired varying magnetic field. The frequency multiplier 22 is connected to transducer 24 in order to convert the electrical energy into a magnetic field. The transducer is shown as an ordinary coil 24. Other wellknown transducers for producing a magnetic field may be utilized.

The illustration in FIG. 3 shows a coil having a core 26 with windings 28. Various magnetic field patterns may be derived by utilizing particular winding and core patterns. A plurality of winding and core patterns may be combined in a single magnetic field-producing device in order to clean various portions of the teeth in a mouth cavity. The various magnetic field patterns may be brought into play by changing the physical orientation of the magnetic field-producing device in relation to the teeth in the mouth cavity, or, the various magnetic field patterns may be brought into play by switch controls that control the current into the various Winding and core patterns.

The method of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity in the preferred embodiment includes placing magnetic particles in the mouth cavity in order that the magnetic particles can be moved by the magnetic field in predetermined patterns while they are being agitated to clean the teeth quickly and propely. This method may be utilized to clean between adjacent teeth as well as the inner and outer faces of the teeth.

The controllable variables in the present invention provide the means for controlling the cleaning operation in order to provide the proper forces required to clean the teeth in the mouth cavity of a specific individual. The number, size and configuration of the particles placed in the mouth cavity with the fluid, as well as the cohesive force of the particle, may be altered to provide specific cleaning objectives. The viscosity of the fluid utilized, may also be varied. Also, the frequency and amplitude of the electrical energy supplied to the transducer and the specific transducer being energized, may be changed easily by the user of the magnetic field-producing device when a plurality of well-known control circuits are provided with accessible control knobs. All of the above variables may be manipulated singularly or in a fixed pattern to provide desired results in preparing and cleaning ones teeth. The optimum ranges and values of the above variables are readily ascertainable. The time for cleaning ones teeth may be shortened by cleaning all the teeth at the same time by using a wide magnetic field, or intensifying the partical pattern of agitation.

The size of the permanent magnetic particles may be varied depending mainly on the space between ones teeth or the force holding the teeth in contact. The particles are forced between teeth that abut one another by the force of the magnetic field. Permanent magnetic material between 0.01 and several microns may be used in the fluid.

The viscosity of the cleaning fluid may be used to limit the distance of travel of each particle during each cycle of travel. The fluid provides a medium for the particles to travel in. The fluid also carries the cleaning agents that make cleaning easier. Also, the fluid carries the unwanted material removed from the teeth out of the mouth cavity when the material 4 is ejected from the mouth cavity.

It has been found that a material comprising a fluid having a plurality of permanent magnetic particles therein may be agitated in a controlled fashion by a varying magnetic field in order to clean'items placed in a cavity. The magnetic field will impart motion to each of the permanent magnets within the fluid. The material held in a cavity is agitated throughout its volume. The magnetic particles are moved by the varying magnetic field which effects the fluid by imparting motion to the fluid volume. The maximum size of the permanent magnetic particles that may be used is determined largely by the closeness and relationship of the space, if any, between the teeth in a mouth cavity and the force required to separate the teeth abutting one another. The minimum size of the permanent magnetic material varies between 0.01 and several microns in diameter. The shape of the particles can range from generally spherical to irregular and nonuniform configuration. The particular shape is determined by the abrasive qualities desired and the eflectiveness of the varying magnetic field on the particular shape.

Various materials may be used when manufacturing the magnetic particles, such as barium ferrite. The particles may also be coated in order to encase them with a layer of inert material. Various plastics as Well as other material may be used as a coating material to separate the magnetic material from the fluid and other items in the mouth cavity. The coating material will prevent various undesirable chemical reactions from taking place.

It should be noted that magnetic particles having a non-spherical shape are preferable because the irregularities in the non-uniform shape will aid in the cleaning process. The magnetic field imparts rotation and spins each of the magnetic particles as they tend to align themselves in proper orientation in the magnetic field. The magnetic field also imparts a translation motion to the non-uniform magnetic particles. The resulting magnetic particle motion includes axial oscillation, and in the preferred manner includes an oscillation of the entire particle.

In at least one portion of the transducer a magnetic field, called a stream, is provided to move the particles in one general direction along a single path, while oscillating the particles back and forth. A single particle in the stream moving along the path will move, for example, one unit of length forward and one-half a unit of length backward with every cycle of the current. The particles moving in the stream can be used to clean between teeth that abut one another.

The method set forth herein utilized to clean the teeth includes the placement of material in the mouth cavity, thereafter sealing off the mouth cavity by the tongue which will block the entrance to the throat and the nasal cavity, and the lips are closed to seal the mouth cavity from the outside. A varying magnetic field is thereafter produced and brought adjacent the external portion of the mouth cavity. From this external position the magnetic particles within the mouth cavity are agitated to clean all the teeth with mechanically connecting the device to the particles.

The particles following a single path may be utilized as a tooth pick or piece of waxed string to effectively clean the adjacent surfaces of abutting teeth in the mouth cavity.

The various flight patterns for the particles may be arranged that differ from the general oscillating action used for cleaning the front and back surfaces of ones teeth. Many varied magnetic field patterns, that control the particle movement, may be provided to provide specific scrubbing action that may be necessary in cleaning specific areas of the teeth. These flight patterns may be varied by well-known means to provide various shaped magnetic fields. The user can actuate a particular flight pattern by manipulating the magnetic field-producing device into various positions or by switching the input on and off to various transducers or windings.

It should also be noted that the same basic device disclosed herein may be utilized to clean items other then teeth. If a tub is provided to take the place of the mouth cavity, the disclosed method and apparatus may be used as a dishwasher for cleaning all types of utensils including pots and pans. The material is placed in the tub with the magnetic field-producing device connected to the outside of the tube. Also, the same type of method and apparatus may be used as a clothes washer. The many variables set forth herein above may be easily adjusted to provide a combination dishwasher and clothes" washer, each of which would require various inputs into the tub to agitate the material therein.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Therefore this invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but to be accorded the full scope of the claims was to embrace any and all equivalent methods and apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity whic comprises the steps of placing a material that is susceptible to varying magnetic field in the mouth cavity,

sealing the mouth cavity by use of the lips and tongue,

and

actuating a teeth cleaning device outside of the mouth cavity to produce a varying magnetic filed to clean the teeth by activating said material in the sealed mouth cavity.

2. A method of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity as 3.)

set forth in claim 1, wherein the material includes particles susceptible to a magnetic field, and the varying magnetic field which is produced is capable of penetrating the cheeks to agitate the particles in the mouth cavity to clean the teeth. 3. A process of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity compr1s1ng,

placing material including a plurality of very small particles movable under the influence of a magnetic field in the mouth cavity adjacent the teeth, and actuating a teeth cleaning device outside the mouth cavity to produce a varying magnetic field Within the mouth cavity to move the particles against the teeth to clean the teeth. 4. A process. of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity as set forth in claim 3 including,

manipulating the teeth cleaning device to direct the movement of particles against various portions of the teeth in order to clean the teeth. 5. A process of cleaning teeth in a mouth cavity as set forth in claim 3 including,

manipulating the teeth cleaning device to control the force of particles against various portions of the teeth in order to clean the teeth.